News roundup: Feb. 28

By: Megan Thomas

News roundup: Feb. 28

Welcome to the news roundup, where we look at some of the notable news for startups and tech hardware to get you caught up on some recent industry developments.

Autonomous and connected vehicles

Google accuses Uber of using stolen technology (The New York Times)
In the latest development of the race to create fully functional autonomous vehicles, Google’s self-driving car unit Waymo filed a federal lawsuit accusing Uber of using intellectual property stolen by a former Google project leader. How did Waymo come to this conclusion? One of Waymo’s suppliers accidentally copied it in an email with drawings of Uber’s LIDAR circuit boards whose design bore “a striking resemblance” to its own.

OxSight develops AR glasses to assist the visually impaired
OxSight has developed glasses to help those with deteriorating sight to emphasize light and shape, allowing them to have better spatial awareness and see faces. As OxSight works to bring the product to market, its team hopes to expand the AR technology to assist those with dementia, autism and dyslexia in the future.

Smart Living

Smart products for cats (BBC)
There’s been a lot of love from developers for smart devices for dogs. To help even out the discrepancy, BBC highlights new hardware devices for

Otherlab designs biodegradable drone for conflict areas and emergency response (Wired)
Otherlab has designed the single-use Aerial Platform Supporting Autonomous Resupply Actions drone for delivering medicine and supplies in emergency situations. The initial prototype was designed from cardboard, while the final design calls for its exterior to be made completely of mushroom-based mycelium so it can dissolve within days. They’re now working on making the internal machinery perishable as well.

Data from wearables show sleep deprivation highest among city dwellers and those busier during the day (BBC)
Jawbone compared sleep data of one million users around the U.S. and found that city residents get less sleep than those in rural or suburban areas.
Microsoft also mined data from 75 million keystrokes and clicks on Bing from more than 30,000 individuals wearing a fitness device, finding that those busiest during the day (based on their Microsoft calendars and search activity) slept worse at night and those who slept less than six hours for two consecutive nights were sluggish for the next six days.

5.3 million hackable IoT devices found in Spain (Computerworld)
At the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona, Avast used internet-connected device search engine Shodan to find 5.3 million hackable IoT devices in Spain. 150,000 of those were webcams, 22,000 of which were classified as baby monitors. There were also 79,000 vulnerable smart coffee makers and kettles.

Germany’s Federal Network Agency advises parents to destroy smart doll (BBC)
Germany’s telecommunications regulator advised parents to destroy any My Friend Cayla dolls in their households after it was discovered the doll’s unsecure Bluetooth device could be hacked, allowing for recording and projection of audio and potential commandeering of other internet of things devices in the home. See a nightmare-inducing demonstration of a compromised doll in action below.

Techshot developing space-bound condensed bioprinter
Techshot Inc. is working on a making a condensed version of its bioprinter to go on a space capsule next January that could create transplantable organs and other human tissue to aid earth-bound patients and astronauts on long-duration space exploration.

Latest Posts

Free Resources

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER

Email

ABOUT US

Asia’s largest hardware trade show facilitating global distribution between startups and renowned online and offline retailers, showcasing 300 startups to more than 63,000 global buyers from 149 countries and regions.